What factors - other than the price - influence you personally in
selecting questions to answer?  It would be interesting on get some
feedback on this so that we (the questioners) can avoid habits that
might put researchers off.  Of couse, I assume we've all read the
Google Answers guidelines so we don't need to re-iterate those :)

Could I suggest that thoughts are posted as comments for the moment,
so we don't just get a single researcher's thoughts?

Speaking for myself, aside from the price I select questions that I
think would be fun to research. See one of my answers here:

https://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=58641

Another thing aside from price would be interests that I share with
the questioner. For example, if she's asking about basketball, I would
love to respond if I could without much concern to the price.

Sometimes questions questions are harder to decipher than others but
there is always the clarification feature so that's ok. But sometimes
it is better if we get the spirit of the question as quickly as
possible.

Shared interests, yes, and if the information interests me.  If it
doesn't, I don't believe I will answer the question adequately.  I
also consider the depth of information provided by the customer, and
how the question is phrased.

Two of my greatest concerns are (1) many customers do not utilize the
Clarification option before rating and (2) customers don't clue in the
researchers often enough regarding sites they have already visited. 
The latter is incredibly frustrating for both the researcher and the
customer, and often results in unnecessary customer dissatisfaction.

I echo journalist's comment about the frustration of customers who
don't let us know what they already have. Nothing is as bothersome to
this researcher, and frustrating to the asker,as when, after writing
many paragraphs in an answer, we get a poor rating with a comment such
as "I already have those web sites."

Interesting, well written and clear questions catch my eye more than
the price, but a better price entices me too!

Details!  I like details!

Tell me what you're looking for.  Tell me what you already know (so I
don't point you to sources you've already seen, wasting both your time
and mine).  Give me a little background about why you want particular
information so that I can point you to additional sources that are
related to your query.

Combine all of those with an interesting (to me) topic, and I'll give
it a go if it's reasonably priced.

--Missy

Good Day,

I personally try to avoid any question that can have multiple right
answers. There are some users out there who ask for personal opinions
and have an idea as to "what the answer should be". Not any right
answer will do for a good rating for those users...

Also, I try to avoid questions which "ask for the impossible". Some
people seem to think that we are wizards, and can create solutions to
problems no one else can. For example if someone asked "How can I
become a professional programer in C++ in less than a month", I would
not answer that question. A question phrased "What is an efficient way
to learn C++" is a little easier to answer. C++ can not be learned in
less than a month. But there are quicker and slower ways to learn
it... "Give me a list of all good books on C++" would be avoided by me
too. Absolutes are a warning sign for me: ALL, ALWAYS, etc...

Finally, unless the answer is dealing with straight facts with little
room for deviation, I would have to have basic knowledge of the
subject on which the question is on....

My pet peeve: questioners not letting us know their general location,
which makes a big difference for questions like "how big is the market
for..." and "where can I buy..."

Hi Michael, 

That's a good question. As you can see, each person has a different
approach.

For me, if I know the answer off the top of my head, I'll answer it,
even if the price is very low.

Some questions just strike my fancy and I'll spend a lot of time just
researching and reading. Sometimes, I'll find that I simply can't
locate an adequate answer. So, if possible, I'll post comments and
move on.

On some questions, while I might learn quite a bit from the research,
it often sends me off on other tangents and I never return.

And the questions I don't answer, after I've started looking?

For instance, there was one very simple question about estates. A
researcher who was an attorney commented that the price was too low
for the amount of research involved. I thought, how silly, the answer
is perfectly obvious.
Then, I tried to find the objective support for my answer. Ooops. In
looking, I realized that two or three critical pieces of information
were missing. So the answer wasn't as obvious as it appeared, at first
glance. Also, the information I knew to be correct, that I find within
my own tomes, is not easily found online. I couldn't quickly find a
source to link to for support. After over a half hour, I had to admit,
the attorney was right. This wasn't the quickie question I'd
originally thought it was.

Best wishes,

Your TaxMama-ga

My criteria for choosing which questions to answer as are follows:

1. The interest value of the question is definitely my top criterion. 
There are some subject areas I won't touch for any price because I
find them so boring.

2.  A subject in which I feel competent to judge the value of the
information I find.  There are some subject areas I won't touch
because I do not understand them and their terminology well enough to
feel competent about giving an answer.
Questions to which I already know the answer :)  

3.  A query which poses a challenge, perhaps requiring some lateral
thinking, or the piecing together of information into a coherent
whole, or the use of my language skills.  I like the thrill of the
chase.

4.  Well-phrased questions which tell me the type and quantity of
information the asker is seeking, and also indicate what information
the asker already possesses.

5.  Questions asked by people with a good record on Google Answers in
terms of courtesy to researchers and fairly awarded grades.

I find it very appealing when a customer displays a sense of humor in
the way he or she phrases a question (even if the question itself is
essentially a serious one.) I have sometimes chosen to answer a
question only because the customer sounded like a pleasant and funny
individual, and I enjoy helping that kind of person.

On the other hand, if the customer presents a list of curtly-phrased
"demands," as if holding the researcher's feet to the fire, I may post
a comment, but I am leery of attempting to give an answer, since it is
difficult to be certain of pleasing someone whose mind I cannot read.
No one expects the Spanish Inquisition, with the possible exception of
John Cleese.

1. price
2. personal knowledge
3. price vs. effort assessment
4. sense that there exists a concrete answer
5. high confidence that I can provide it with at least 90% completeness
6. concise, simple, short questions

Red flags
1. long long detailed questions
2. questions that are vague
3. questions with many parts
4. questions that I wont get paid for (this one! --I'm outtee)

claudietta

Here's my tuppence worth.

Pros
1. Personal interest.
2. Do I have an existing starting point?
3. Can I find a starting point quickly? The lower the price, the 
easier this needs to be to find. This does not mean "can I find an
answer quickly" - just a way in.
4. Clear phrasing of the question.
5. Someone who clearly needs help in an area where I can offer it.

Cons
1. Obvious request for a high level of technical expertise for few
dollars.
2. "Write my essay for me."
3. As stated by robertskelton-ga, questions about law, rules,
regulations, courses, prices, markets etc. where the questioner has
not said where on earth in the world they come from.
4. Requests for all the information on a particular subject presented
in a specific format - or else the answer will be rejected (why
bother?).

In no particular order . . .

Is it something I know?
Is the question in an area in which I have expertise or know the
resources?
Can I learn the resources for a particular area within the time frame?
(this is why I shy away from market research and business questions)
Has the question been well phrased?  Are answers to clarification
requests well-phrased?
Price.  By this I mean, that the price fits the expected answer (e.g.
Is someone asking for the moon for a $2 price?)
Is it an impossible request? (see slawek-ga's comments)
Does someone want me to write their essay or take their test for them
rather than ask me for guidance as to how to do so?
Is it a detailed legal questions (has nothing to do with anything
other than that I have no background with legal resources)

Regards,
luciaphile-ga

I like:

questions that interest me
questions on subjects where I have some background knowledge to guide
me, even if I'm not a specialist in that area
questions that are sensibly priced for the amount of time needed to
research them

I hope that customers will:

say what they already know (so we don't waste each others' time)
say why they want to know (helps researchers tune into the customer'
needs)
say *exactly* what they want to know (so we don't have to get into
long clarification request and answer sessions)

I'm a wannabe-researcher. I've filled out all the paperwork, but
Google says they have no need for more researchers now. I still answer
questions, but I don't have the $$$ as incentive. I look for questions
that pose a challenge, and that are well written. Some questions can
be answered with the most rudimentary of Google searches, I have no
interest in those. I like the questions that have a mystery attached,
like the who, what or where of a family member, or the location of an
obscure piece of merchanise.
The best questions have enough info in the subject line so as a
researcher is browsing the list, they have an idea what the questioner
is needing.
I've probaby answered 25 or so questions, and hope  at some point
Google has a need for more researchers. I love this stuff.

I tend to answer questions on topics that I have some knowledge about,
or that I am interested in finding out about. It helps if there's lots
of detail, about sources already checked, similar items, citations
etc. The most obscure details are sometimes the most helpful!

Price isn't so much a factor, I'd answer a two dollar question if I
thought I could, but I am influenced by the price vs. time it takes to
answer the question. I have avoided questions where the asker wants a
lot of very detailed and obscure information and is only willing to
pay a very small price for it.

I get put off even reading a question now, if it has over 10 comments.
Some of the older questions for example have already been answered by
comments and the asker has gone away contented. I tend not to click on
them for that reason unless the figure is quite high.

Where else can you get this much feedback for $.50? :) Maybe Google
should post this stuff in a questioners' tips area.

Thanks for your interest in GA, michael2.

ericynot

I'd like to answer questions about something I have done before or
know about already and occasionally the "new and interesting" question
that grabs my interest.

I've only been "on the inside" for a fortnight or so. I'm answering
questions that I think I'll be able to find quickly, on subjects that
interest me....but every so often I'll look at something and wonder,
then spend half an hour on it and realise that it's going to take too
long and give up.

And although it's only been a short time, I'm already getting more
confident and beginning to branch out a bit, so I can see a time where
my range will improve as well

Willie

I generally try to avoid questions like this one (now that I learned
to):

https://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=17178

The asker had already gotten a few answers that would work well. My
answer would have worked perfectly. He did not describe enough of the
requirements for an answer, and though he admitted that my answer was
"reasonable" (and would in fact work well), it just didn't suit his
way of doing things.